October 24, 2024: Fall Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/24/2024
The 1977 Hostess Baseball cards that were issued on the backs of boxes from various snack cakes from the legendary company are found here in the preeminent condition form rarely encountered at this scale: complete and relatively pristine flattened boxes for much of the array and only slightly below for others. This lot includes a complete set in flattened boxes (about 16-18 inches by 13 inches), yielding mostly pristine three-card panels for the 150-card set, plus an additional 50-plus duplicates, which touches on some of the greatest players of the era. That last reference includes the likes of Pete Rose (2), Jim Rice (2), Gaylord Perry (2), Steve Carlton (2), Vida Blue (3), Jerry Koosman (3), Nolan Ryan, Jim Palmer, Carlton Fisk and Phil Niekro, to name a few. In the 50-panel complete set, the higher numbers from about No. 130 to No. 150 can reveal some lesser examples, with some glue residue on some of the flaps. Of the 50 or so extra boxes, about two dozen or so are pretty heavily stained and with other condition deficiencies, leaving a very few salvageable cards from the group. The sugary Hostess empire featured a roster of cupcakes, snack cakes, crumb cakes, Ho Ho’s and Twinkies, to offer a taste, and the nature of the distribution makes virtually pristine flattened complete boxes like this particularly coveted. While full boxes of individual three-card panels will surface in online auctions, finding a complete set in this fashion is almost without precedent.
1977 Hostess Baseball Set in Flattened Boxes With Extras (108)
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